Penelope Cruz To Play Murdering Heiress In Gucci Biopic

For a man approaching his 75th birthday, Ridley Scott is staying remarkably busy, releasing his enormous new sci-fi film Prometheus earlier this year then jumping directly into The Counselor, the star-studded drama he's currently shooting. But with a directing project and now the sole namesake for Scott Free Productions, which he founded with his late brother Tony, Ridley apparently had one too many things on his plate after all, and has handed over one of his would-be directing projects to someone he knows very well: his daughter, Jordan.

According to The Wrap, Jordan Scott is now planning to direct Gucci, a drama about the family behind the famous clothing brand, and Penelope Cruz is in talks to star. Cruz is currently starring for the elder Scott in The Counselor, so clearly some strong ties are being developed there. And it ought to be a juicy role for Cruz-- she'll be playing Patrizia Reggiani, who was jailed in 1999 for shooting Maurizio Gucci, the heir to the Gucci empire. Reggiani hired a hit man to carry out the killing, allegedly after discovering her husband was having an affair.

Reggiani isn't just a killer, but quite the character too-- this Daily Mail is chock full of fascinating tidbits, including that she turned down an opportunity in parole for 2011 by saying "No thanks as it would mean getting a job and I have never worked a day in my life. I would prefer to stay in my cell and water my plants." Cruz has prove adept at playing slightly loony women before, especially well in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and she seems an even better choice for the role than the original actress lined up, Angelina Jolie. Now the question is how Jordan Scott will handle the material-- her feature directorial debut, Cracks, was a mystery set at an elite girl's boarding school, so Gucci ought to be a major change of pace.